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Short and simple

If there’s one thing all (good) copywriters know, it’s that readers have the attention span of a goldfish.

  • If they stumble across your page and aren’t sure it’s what they’re looking for, you generally have less than three seconds to grab their attention.
  • If they come to your site because they want to read what you’ve got to say, you have ten to twenty seconds to hook them.
  • If they’re really interested in what you’ve written you might have a minute or two of their time.

That’s it.

Of course there are exceptions where your writing is so compelling, so entertaining and so engrossing that they’ll stay for five or even ten minutes. But they’re exceptions. They’re rare.

For some reason many bloggers seem to think these rules don’t apply to them. They’ll ramble on, convinced their readers are caught in their web of 800 to 4000 words. I don’t know what gives them this illusion.

As students we were given essays to write: two or three thousand words on blah, blah, blah. As professionals (outside the world of print which requires set word lengths for layout) we should be defining our own limits. How about 300- 400 words on average, 700- 800 maximum?

The saying shouldn’t be, “Keep it simple, stupid”. It should be, “Short, simple, sold”.

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By Jen – 22 January 2010

I’m in marketing. Feel free to hate me

There’s a particular nastiness about the words “advertising” and “marketing”. For many people they go hand-in-hand and deserve much patronising. In June this year, “advertising” came in as one of the three least trusted professions in Australia.

But it seem to me that a lot of people don’t realise that marketing no longer belongs solely to those in the “marketing” team with a title of “Marketing Officer” or “Marketing Manager”. To be honest, I’m not sure that was ever really the case.

In my world, those who deride marketers the most work on websites in some capacity, be they UX professionals, designers, developers, or writers. They do so because they believe they know better than those “meddlesome marketing people”. Perhaps they do but, umm…

If you’re in web development, you’re a marketer.

Anyone who works with or on a website is a marketer. Plain. Simple. I’m sure there’ll be some naysayers who will argue that their site is to inform, not sell. Or that they’re just blogging to share their own views and experiences. But here’s the rub: to inform or to share, you must first sell yourself, or your organisation, as a reliable or interesting source.

Organisations don’t have websites just because everyone else does. Businesses don’t add Facebook or Twitter share functionality to a webpage just because everyone else does. They don’t ask their developers to build funky functionality, their designers to create pretty layouts and graphics, their UX staff to develop intelligent architecture, or their writers to “sound inspiring” just because everyone else does.

A website is a marketing tool. It’s the advertising and information service that “traditional marketing”, the one-to-many approach, attempts to drive people to.

Unfortunately, many of those who do see the web as a marketing tool seem to forget that the web cannot be treated as “traditional marketing”. We’re in the age of the social web. Web 2.0. And users expect more.

The web is evolving. It’s evolving into what Tim Berners-Lee intended it to be. (If Ted Nelson’s Xanadu had gotten there first, “traditional marketers” would rule the Internet. Let’s be thankful Nelson failed.) The World Wide Web is a place for free information. Where individuals can have their say, share their thoughts and become involved. Where your users will become your advertisers if you treat them well enough.

The web is “new marketing”. (I say that in inverted commas because, really, it’s not new at all.) And if you’ve anything to do with the development of a website, be it your own or your employer’s, you’re a marketer. If you haven’t realised this yet, it’s time to sit up and pay attention.

If you really feel passionately about those “meddlesome marketing people” and really want to continue your gripe, it’s time to rename them the “traditional marketers”.

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By Jen – 8 November 2009

What the f#!* am I doing?

Not too long ago someone stumbled across this dainty little blog and decided she liked what she read. And, don’t you know it? She offered me some freelance work.

I don’t normally seek freelance jobs. I don’t like hassling people. And I really can’t be half-arsed signing up to one of those freelancing sites where I hear jobs often go to the lowest bidders. I have been lucky enough to have a handful fall into my lap upon occasion. I’m grateful I’ve only had to turn one away to date.

Finding a job through a blog was a new and bizarre concept to me. Especially my poor blog, so often neglected.

But I got the email. Some queries, questions, wonderings. And, as I read through it, tears filled my eyes and I found I had to relearn to breathe.

Not only was it a possibility for work. It was a possibility to have an impact upon the future of Australia. Writing for the minor political party I’d spent my entire adult life voting for, preaching on behalf of and literally yelling at my friends to look into. And here it was, a request to consider re-writing their site.

Breathe. Breathe.

Of course I wasn’t going to turn it away. I grasped it. I took the first job and typed away, occasionally giving in to a little panic, thinking how amazing this would look on my CV. Imagining the credit I could take (at least on my resume) should they win a seat or two… or eight.

And they liked what I provided. In fact, after being passed through committee, only one paragraph of six pages was significantly changed prior to publication.

And now I’m on job number two. I’ve been writing all day. Planning all week. Considering my words. Examining what I should say, what I shouldn’t. How much is too much? And how little is too little?

And as I was reviewing the research, I came across a quote:

“When I used to talk about ‘ordinary people out there’, I was talking about ordinary people who cared about other people’s problems, who were prepared to sacrifice themselves to help other people. I grossly overestimated that number … I was virtually preaching the gospel of love, and that should be greater than the forces of fear.”
Don Chipp, 1983.

And suddenly it has hit me. I’m asking people, in fact all Australians eligible for the vote, to put their own greed and self-interest aside and to pursue the greater good. To consider the rights of the minorities and the less fortunate. To examine their impact upon society and our environment. To put themselves second in order to ensure an enduring society in a prosperous world.

And suddenly, it seems like an incredibly daunting task. A task I’m not sure I’m up for. And I’ve found myself asking, “What the f#!* am I doing?”

Do I want to change Australia for the better? More than anything. Can I? Man, I hope so!

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By Jen – 11 October 2009

Beyond the page?

As I’ve been planning my Vogel award-winning manuscript over the last few days (see my previous post on the matter), I’ve been considering ways and means of enhancing the story.

Writing is no longer required to stick purely to the words. I can think of two examples off the top of my head where the author has tried something a little less conventional:

  • The Law of Love by Laura Esquivel, author of Like Water for Chocolate, was accompanied by a CD. At intervals throughout the book the reader is instructed to “listen to Track X” so that they may hear what the characters hear. While a great idea, I’m not sure this was entirely successful as the physical act of getting up and putting the CD on disrupted my reading and my connection with the story. This is something that could, perhaps, be overcome as Kindles are more widely adopted.
  • Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close by Jonathan Safran Foer, one of my favourite books, incorporates a range of mediums to tell the story. For instance, when a character who does not speak attempts to communicate via phone, the reader is subjected to six or eight pages of numbers. While few would have the patience to sit by their phone translating, 3=e, 6=m, etc, it did add a whole new dimension to the character.

As I’ve been planning and writing my own prose, I’ve noticed that I have instinctively included Facebook and Twitter updates. This hasn’t shocked me as both are now highly integrated into my daily life. It has made me wonder, though, whether a cross over between page and screen is plausible.

Would you become Facebook friends with a character from a novel? Would you follow his tweets? Is a real blog a silly idea? I’m torn.

I quite like the idea of bringing a story into the reader’s world. Taking the emotional connection a reader may feel with a character to a new level by providing a virtual connection through social media.

On the other hand, I can’t help considering the long-term situation. A printed book has the potential to last for several hundred years (hey, I’m dreaming here, remember?) – will Facebook? Unlikely. Can it be guaranteed that the URL for a blog will be kept for that duration? Not really. And, in the unlikely event of the blog (and book) managing to stand the test of time, would the stylings of a 2009 blog page be isolating for a 2109 reader?

I think I’ll continue to explore new means of communicating the story I’m planning to tell but I’d love to hear your thoughts in the meantime.

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By Jen – 9 October 2009

Stupendously stupid (goals)

I seem to meet aspiring authors everywhere I go. Most, I know, won’t get their work off the ground. Many will dream, but never put finger to keyboard. Others will never write past the first chapter. And some will complete their greatest work, only to find it’s pure and utter shite.

Despite knowing this, I’ve always had that dream. You know the one. You’re hit by inspiration. You write a novel that touches everyone who reads it. It becomes a best-seller around the world. It’s featured in all the major magazines and newspapers. It wins an award or two. It may even be a hit on Oprah’s book club list.

I’ve started a couple of times but I always put it down. I question myself. Is my story what people want to hear? Is it interesting? Does my plot line work? Are my characters wankers the average reader will hate?

Worse, I question whether or not my writing is simply self-indulgent crap. And is asking my friends to read a chapter or two straining the relationship?

I have always just assumed I’d write one day but I’ve never considered it to be a potential career. It’s about getting my name in print. About sharing a piece of me and hopefully making a bit of an impact on one or two people along the way.

I’ve always planned to write my book but I’ve let my fear engulf me and hold me back.

It’s time for me to move on.

Yesterday I wrote 331 words. It’s not much, but it’s a start. I may again abandon the work but maybe, just maybe, this time will be different.

Unless I somehow manage to have my manuscript completed, edited and published by January 2010 (*cough, splutter, choke*) I’m no longer eligible for the Kathleen Mitchell Award for Young Writers. But I still have time to win The Sydney Morning Herald Best Young Australian Novelist Award.

So that’s what I’m aiming for. That’s my new goal. It’s high. It’s mighty. But it’s a goal.

Please feel free to try to keep me on track.

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By Jen – 4 October 2009

Not a rant? Ahem!

Someone recently said I shouldn’t say I “rant” on my blog given I rarely say anything innovative. Ahem!

Please refer to your dictionary. Mine’s the Macquarie Dictionary & Thesaurus combined edition printed in 2001. It’s very special.

Rant, v.i. to talk in a wild or vehement way.

While it’s possible none of my posts sound wild or vehement to you, I have felt wild and/or vehement while writing a couple of them. And if I was to discuss them (particularly my last post) with you in real life, you’d say I was ranting. So ner!

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By Jen – 13 September 2009

The work-work balance

I’ve been incredibly stressed lately. I’ve jumped, very suddenly, from feeling directionless while project after project was put on hold, to juggling four major projects with a fifth kicking in on Monday. Five very large, time-intensive projects with no commonalities. Four of which have looming deadlines I doubt I’ll meet.

Perhaps if these projects were similar, perhaps if they involved the same people or departments, or perhaps if they were better organised I’d be feeling more relaxed. Unfortunately life’s never perfect.

Usually when this kind of demand is placed on me I bury my head in the sand and mumble to anyone who asks, “It’ll be ok. It’s on track. It’ll be done on time”, whether I believe it or not. And usually I do manage to complete the work done on time and within budget, but to the detriment of my health. This time I’m trying not to do that.

So what am I doing differently this time? Well, not a lot. Old habits are hard to break. But I’m trying to listen to my colleague who regularly states, with much conviction:

You can only do what you can do.

I’m also reminding myself that he means “within office hours” and am doing my darnedest not to open up work document after document on my weekends to get ahead, or at least catch up. But it’s hard. When you’re committed to your career, when you’re committed to quality, when you’re committed to deadlines and you are so afraid of letting your team down it’s hard to take a step back and say, “Hey, where’s my life?”

So that’s what I’m doing. I’m taking a step back (or at least I’m trying to) and doing the things that I most enjoy when the office shuts down for the day. I’m filling my apartment with music, colour and relaxation tapes to keep my nagging mind off the tasks ahead. I’m not sleeping well. I’m getting tension headaches. But I’m getting there.

Writers can have a life too, can’t they?

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By Jen – 25 July 2009

It’s my party and I’ll follow if I want to

Yes, I know it’s very early for me to have a guest blogger, but there you have it. This great new post, “It’s my party and I’ll follow if I want to…” is brought to you by Bill Harper. Bill has very kindly let me collaborate with him on this piece and his words accurately reflect my opinions.

You can follow @BillHarper on Twitter, although I can’t guarantee he’ll follow you back… read on to find out why!

Imagine you’ve organised a party. A big one — hundreds of guests. And you’re wandering through the sea of people, lost in a thousand different conversations.

Some conversations you’ll find interesting enough to stop and listen to. You may even join in for a while before moving on. As the night goes on, you may chat to the same people again and again, to the point where you’re all good friends by the end of the night.

Others conversations you’ll try hard to avoid. The topic might not interest you, or the people discussing it may annoy you. Those people may latch onto you anyway and give you a personal account of their views, at which point you may have to ask them to leave.

This is how I think of Twitter. When I follow people, I’m inviting them to my party. Some I may only listen to, but I still want them there because they’re… well, interesting. But most people are there because they’re great to talk to. (And yes, I’ve had to kick a few out by unfollowing them.)

Some people like to keep their Twitter parties small. But for me it’s a case of the more the merrier (especially given I don’t have to cater). So if you’re the kind of person I’d invite to my party, chances are I’ll follow you on Twitter.

The question is, will I invite you to my party?

Maybe.

Sure, getting a recommendation from someone I know will get you a foot in the door. But I’ll ultimately judge you on two things: your Twitter profile and your tweets.

So what might stop me following you? Well, here are my top eight Twitter turn-offs (in no particular order).

1. No picture in your Twitter profile

This may seem petty, but I like to get an idea of who you are, and your profile picture is a great start. The picture doesn’t have to be of you, but it should tell me something about you.

(Yes, I follow some people who don’t have a profile picture. But I got to know them first in that strange place called “real life”).

2. No bio in your Twitter profile

To me, this is even more important than your picture. If you have similar interests to mine, and sound like you don’t take yourself too seriously, there’s a good chance I’ll follow you.  But I can’t read what isn’t there.

3. A shortened web URL in your Twitter profile

Shortened URLs (using tinyurl.com, bit.ly, etc.) are pretty much the norm in tweets because every character counts. But why use them in your profile? If you’re proud of your web site and want me to visit, spell it out. Otherwise it makes me think you’re trying to hide something (or worse still, leading me into malware hell).

4. The “I’m God’s gift to the universe” bio in your Twitter profile

Nothing puts me off a person more than when they start bragging about how great they are.  So if you want me to follow you, don’t tell me you’re the best/greatest/funniest person in the Twitterverse. Let me get to know you so I can find out for myself.

5. The self-proclaimed “expert”

These people are even worse than the “God’s gift” types because if they’re convincing enough they can do some real damage.

As @inJenious puts it:

“I know hundreds of professionals. I even know a few leaders in their fields. But very few people are expert anythings and those who claim to be are usually just amateurs, stumbling in the dark.”

Don’t tell me you’re an expert. Show me.

6. Anything to do with porn, get rich/famous/followers quick schemes, etc.

If I see anything like this in your profile or your tweets I’ll block you immediately. ‘Nuff said.

7. Tweets that are nothing but quotes, re-tweets, links, RSS feeds, etc.

I think re-tweeting is one of Twitter’s greatest strengths, and I love an inspiring quote or useful link as much as anyone. But if you’re not saying anything original then I can’t follow you. How can I? I don’t even know you.

Here’s a tweet from @inJenious that sums it up perfectly: “Dear new follower, you look kinda cute in your twitter background but your tweets seem to be random RSS feeds. Where’s YOU?”

8. Tweets that are all rants/whinges/fist-shaking, etc.

We all have our bad days. And sometimes sharing it with followers can be quite cathartic. But if your tweets read like a log book from the complaints department, then they’re probably something I can do without.

And to make it an official Top Ten, here are two more turn-offs from @inJenious.

9. Every tweet is excessively chirpy and cheery

I’m not happy 24/7. Life has its ups and downs. Like the constant complainers, I find those who are enthusiastically happy and over the top in every tweet are not follow-worthy. How many people can honestly claim to be joyous about life ALL the time? I’m not saying you should purposely go out seeking a bad day, or make up something to complain about every now and again. I’m just saying you should be honest, because the only person you’re fooling is yourself.

10. Tweets interspersed with paid ad links

Go ahead and try to get rich quick by putting your 3c per click ad links in your tweets. But I won’t follow you. Following someone who does this kind of thing is like encouraging a friend to demonstrate how the knives he’s trying to sell easily slice through heavy-duty rope every few hours. I don’t hate myself that much.

As I said earlier, the more people I have at my Twitter party the better. So if you think we’d get along, please talk to me so we can get to know each other better.

And let’s get this party started.

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By Jen – 17 June 2009

Mood matters

I graduated from university (the first time) the proud owner of a seemingly useless Bachelor of Arts (English). Other than moving on to a teaching qualification, I had no idea what to do with a BA and ended up working as a receptionist supporting a large call centre. In that role I organised and attended a day of customer service training. I remember three key things from that session:

  1. My morning tea and lunch break were spent arguing with hotel staff about the excessive noise produced by the air conditioner.
  2. I got to take home lots of coloured pens. Their lids connected them to each other, making a circle of pens. I never used them.
  3. Your mood, and what you’re doing, matters when you’re speaking to a client on the phone.

Numbers one and two aren’t important. Number three is. If you have ever worked in a call centre, you’ll probably have been told this at some stage:

  • Never stand or pace while you’re on the phone. The customer will hear your impatience.
  • Never do anything that requires thought, such as reading emails or even playing solitaire, while answering calls. The customer will sense your distraction (and you’ll probably miss half of what he/she says).
  • Remain relaxed, calm and friendly. If you’re feeling stressed, fool yourself into thinking you’re not.

These days I rarely speak to clients. My office phone rings about once a month (there’s a hole in the ceiling from the last time someone called) but these tips are still valid.

When you write for a website you take part in a one-sided conversation with your client. Just as clients on the phone will sense your mood, so will your readers. Mood is important.

Depending on what I’m writing, I often fill myself with what I call a ‘false-mood’. I choose my mood based on target audience and content purpose.

I recently completed a copywriting job for an academy with a target audience of 16-24 year old male “geeks”. Education is a big decision purchase. Not only is it expensive, it also requires the buyer to commit themselves to one or more years of intensive learning, impacting their earning potential and limiting their social life. So how did I, as the writer, help prospective clients decide to sign on the dotted line? I got excited.

While writing that copy, I played “I’m so excited” by The Pointer Sisters on repeat in my head. I felt like one of those annoying infomercials on TV at midday. That doesn’t mean my writing read like an infomercial, it just means that sense of energy ran through my words and into the minds of my readers.

At other times, when I’ve needed to have my readers act fast I’ve filled myself with a sense of urgency by imagining a full bladder. Thinking about looming deadlines also works but that has the undesirable side-effect of stressing me out.

There are many examples of when a ‘false-mood’ will help your content hit the right note. What are some of yours?

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By Jen – 14 June 2009

Anyone can write, right?

I’m a writer. Usually when I’m asked what I do, I find myself having to clarify:

No, I’m not an author.
No, I’m not a journalist.
No, I’m not a speech writer.
No, I don’t write for film or TV.

I’m a web writer. Yes, it’s a profession. And yes, it’s highly underrated.

Sometimes my work seems easy and I find myself thinking, “Anyone could do this. Why are they paying me?” But then another website will load onto my screen and I’m quickly reminded.

A good web writer knows their audience. They give clients what they want, rather than what the organisation thinks they should have. They provide users with the information they’re seeking, in the easiest way possible. No, that doesn’t mean the writer will treat their audience as if they were idiots. It means they use language people will understand and they develop a unique, (and preferably) friendly voice the client will connect with and remember.

Good writing goes hand-in-hand with user-centric design and well-considered information architecture. You can’t, realistically, choose just one. If your site is well written but you overlook the other aspects, will users find their answers? If you have a user-centric design or great information architecture but badly written content, will your users understand their answers? Maybe. But that word, “maybe”, poses a great risk to both your reputation and online success.

As a website user, you already know the primary principles of web writing and information architecture. You know how you behave online. You know what you don’t want:

  • jargon or acronyms you don’t understand
  • “corporate” speak
  • to resort to internal search engines
  • to stop and think about which link to click next
  • pages which scroll and scroll (and scroll and scroll)
  • fluffy statements without value

And just as importantly, you know that you do want:

  • to get to the information you’re looking for quickly
  • to know when you’ve found your answer
  • to understand the answer without thinking “does that mean..?”

You want your answer where you expect it… and you want to recognise it as the answer you’re looking for. So does everyone else.

Many organisations are cottoning on to the fact that good writing is essential for the online face of a business. Web content is improving rapidly all over the place, but particularly in the private sector. Unfortunately a large portion of the public sector is lagging behind. Time, money, “committees” (!) and the massive sprawl government and university websites have (usually due to lack of regulation), make re-designing and re-writing a mammoth task most would prefer to ignore.

I believe users will continue to put up with government and university sites in their current form… for now. But people are becoming more demanding. The more other sites give, the more you’ll be expected to provide.

I’m not an ‘expert’ by any means. Given the rate in which the Internet and its related technologies are evolving, I don’t believe anyone can seriously call themselves an expert. There are hundreds of blogs and websites out there which will give you advice and guidance on what and how to write to provide your users with the best experience possible. Some are credible, some are not. This blog simply exists to provide you with my opinions and an insight into my experience.

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By Jen – 14 June 2009